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Fanatics plans to premiere the centerpiece of its new events division with a flagship sports festival in August.
The company is looking to replicate the success of New York Comic Con, the annual fan convention centered around comic book culture, in the sports sector with Fanatics Fest NYC. The three-day event will be held at the Javits Center from Aug. 16 to 18, with tickets going for between $20 and $400.
The top sports leagues in North America are set to participate in the festival, including the National Football League, National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball. Fanatics is also bringing in a slate of celebrity talent, such as Peyton and Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Derek Jeter, Sabrina Ionescu and Hulk Hogan.
Fanatics’ push into events comes as the company expands beyond its roots in sports merchandise. In recent years, it has barged its way into the trading card and sports betting sectors through licensing deals and acquisitions.
Last year, Fanatics Chief Executive Michael Rubin hired New York Comic Con director and ReedPop executive Lance Fensterman to lead his new events business after raising $700 million from investors including Clearlake Capital Group to enter new categories.
“We have a lot of bedrock to build off of,” Fensterman said in an interview. “When I launched New York Comic Con, we didn’t have anything. We had to go beg, borrow and steal.”
Fanatics Events, a partnership with Endeavor Group Holdings’s IMG, held its first major event in April in Philadelphia with WWE World at WrestleMania, in conjunction with World Wrestling Entertainment.
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Kim Bhasin, Bloomberg , 2024-04-16 18:33:03
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